The Fanny Pack

I’ve been taking my fanny pack with me on site visits, and it’s been a real game changer. 10 out of 10. Would recommend.

For a typical site visit, my baseline items are camera, notebook, pen, mini tape measure, hand sanitizer, inhaler, phone, keys, and wallet. The fanny pack is the perfect way to carry these baseline items on your person for easy access.

Why not stuff your pockets? The quantity of items is just too much for pockets. You can limit your movement with overstuffed pockets, and it’s also not the cutest look. If you have multiple pockets, you then have to deal with remembering where you put what. Plus, the fanny pack provides a zip closure that keeps items from falling out when you’re out there looking at things... so you don’t end up dropping your phone into the Hudson River.

Why not use a purse? I love a good crossbody, but a purse is just too fancy for the field. One, you don’t want your purse to get f***ed up by getting splattered with concrete. Two, it does open up opportunities for some sexist bulls***. I am not saying that we need to change to accommodate these idiots, but sometimes it’s honestly just self preservation. You just want to get through your site visit and do your job as unnoticed as possible.

Why not a backpack? You don’t really have enough items to warrant a full backpack. Plus, backpacks are, as the name suggests, worn on your back. This means in order to access your tools, you need to flip your backpack around, grab your things, and then flip your backpack back. I prefer being able to quickly access items and just as quickly put them away. That way, I can get my hands free when I’m trying to safely navigate over algae covered riprap. Lastly but not leastly, backpacks do cover your safety colors on your back, so it’s also not the safest thing if your backpack is not fluorescent and reflective.

Are you Team Pockets, Purse, Backpack, or Fanny Pack?